The Unknown Saint

           There is an old saying "we make plans and God laughs". This couldn't be truer than this film from Morocco. When a thief, who is being chased by the police after a robbery, has his car breakdown in the middle of the desert, he decides to hide the money at the top of a one tree hill. He buries the money in a makeshift grave so no one will disturb it. The police catch up to him and arrest him. Sometime later when he released from prison, he goes back to retrieve the money only to find a shrine has been built around the "grave".

           The small village behind the hill had discovered the "grave" and built a shrine around it with a small fountain to make offerings to God. The thief, who is never mentioned by name, gets a room in the tiny hotel the town had built to accommodate visitors to the shrine, and waits for night to break in. From there, all his efforts to get to the money are thwarted one way or another.

            Younes Bouab plays the frustrated thief. He has no desire to interfere with the townspeople yet he is determined to get his money. There are only a few key characters beside the thief. A new doctor in town is also frustrated by the lack of real patients. The town barber also doubles as the town dentist and the shrine has a night guard and his dog that play an important role. There is also a farmer and his son who, in a twist of sorts, also play a key part. 

            The film is not billed as a comedy and yet, in a quiet, gentle way, it is very amusing and its fable like quality stayed with me for days.